The present invention relates to an airbag apparatus provided on a high-velocity moving body, such as a vehicle, for inflating an airbag in case of an emergency such as a collision, and for protecting a human body.
In order to protect a passenger in case of an emergency such as the collision of a motor vehicle, various types of airbag apparatus such as an airbag apparatus for a driver's seat are used. The airbag apparatus for a driver's seat includes an airbag formed by stitching peripheral edges of a front panel on the passenger's side and a rear panel on the opposite side. An inflator port for receiving a distal side of an inflator is provided at a center of the rear panel. The peripheral portion of this port is mounted to a retainer by bolts, pins, rivets or the like. The rear panel is provided with a vent hole for releasing gas in the bag and absorbing an impact when the passenger seated on the driver's seat strikes against the airbag.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1-311930, an airbag provided with an inner panel (referred to as “inner air bag” in the aforementioned reference) so as to extend between the inflator port on the rear panel and the front panel. An interior of the airbag is partitioned into a first chamber at a center and a second chamber around the first chamber. The inner air bag is provided with a communication port for bringing the first chamber and the second chamber into communication. When the inflator is activated, the first chamber is inflated first, and the second chamber is inflated subsequently.
It is an object of the present invention, in an airbag having an interior partitioned into a first chamber and a second chamber, to enable inflation of the second chamber to be accomplished in the early stage of the airbag deployment.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention and the associated drawings.